Transplant Laboratory

We are a Transplantation Laboratory, in the Department of Renal Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and our lab is located within the Blackburn Building, University of Sydney.

Funding: Industry supportResearch approach equipment: We use molecular techniques such as quantitation of mRNAs and miRNA in human kidney tissue and blood using latest technology, Luminex, microarray and quantitative RT-PCR methods.

Clinical outcomes of renal transplant are dependent upon donor and recipient characteristics, and transplant/immunology related factors. There is a complex interplay of immune and non-immune responses that impact on graft survival, many of which are not fully understood. Histology in serial protocol biopsies has successfully been used to study the natural history of renal allograft damage. However, the molecular mechanisms of the relationship between histology in protocol biopsy, blood and clinical outcome have not been clarified. This study will investigate the molecular profile in protocol biopsies and blood taken at 0, 3 and 12 months following transplantation. The results from this study will identify if the histological and molecular findings in protocol biopsies and blood correlate with clinical outcomes such as delayed graft function, acute rejection, calcinuerin inhibitor toxicity and chronic allograft dysfunction. The results from this study will provide a composite evaluation of the molecular profiling in protocol biopsies and blood, which is anticipated to correlate with allograft outcomes and potentially inform clinical treatment decisions.

The successful applicant will be based at the Transplantation Laboratory and Department of Renal Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Blackburn Building, University of Sydney . This honours project will involve the analysis of multiple proteins, mRNAs and miRNA in human kidney tissue and blood using the latest technology, Luminex, microarray and quantitative RT-PCR methods.